News

iG wins the million dollars at The International

iG pull ahead in the best of five grand finals, taking the first game in under 30 minutes. Na`Vi, a team who traditionally recover after one loss, will look to come back strong in game two.

There was action right from the get go with iG claiming first blood before the creeps spawned on Shadow Shaman. Both teams were passive during the first day phase before iG unleashed havoc when night hit. There was heavy tower aggression during the first night phase with towers falling across the map for Na`Vi.

Dendi's Queen of Pain blew two Sonic Waves during two crucial team fights giving iG a further advantage in the game with the Roshan falling and the Aegis on Templar Assassin at 14 minutes. iG were slowly able to claim middle barracks at 23 minutes and taking the second Roshan shortly after, Na`Vi called GG at 28 minutes with a kill score of 9-23.

Similar to how game one went, Broodmother was picked off three times to Chen ganks and a ton of Sentry Wards. Chen also made an impact at the mid lane harassing Templar Assassin with a wildkin's tornado. Naga went around the map ganking and Na`Vi was able to pull ahead with efficient Teleport responses to Night Stalker's gank in the first night phase.

The turning point came during the subsequent fights where Song of the Siren into Vacuum combinations led to team wipes by iG and a subsequent top barracks claimed at a mere 14 minutes. At such a large deficit, Na`Vi pushed into bottom barracks at 18 minutes, and iG forfeited game two when they realized they couldn't defend against the siege.

The Disruptor pick did not pay off for Na`Vi in the early game, and this was further compounded by iG's clever use of the Syllabear to help Dark Seer get a good start early on at bot lane. There were only two kills in the first 12 minutes although Lone Druid was soon getting his Relic.

Stream onlookers soon saw Na`Vi being unable to handle the Glimpse from Disruptor, with many teamfights being turned around by a Glimpse which sent out one Na`Vi hero from the fight every game. iG patiently took towers and kills as the gold graph escalated tremendously in favor of the Chinese team.

After picking up the second Roshan, a Glimpse which caught Dragon Knight off guard allowed iG into Na`Vi's base at mid and with the melee barracks claimed, Na`Vi forfeited the game at 38 minutes with a score of 2-20.

Both teams went all out in the fourth game, with iG opting for a Keepter of the Light to counter the push on Na`Vi's lineup. The Ukrainian team, on the other hand, went with Nyx Assassin in a bid to catch iG by suprise. The early game was very quiet and kills only came onto the board when the respective solo mids (Templar Assassin and Rubick joined the fights). The Vacuum and Ravage was too much for Na`Vi to handle and the kill score was 12-4 in iG's favor at 18 minutes.

Na`Vi's hope seemed to be pinned on Lone Druid but with iG controlling the map and allowing their three carries to farm up, the gold lead was in iG's favor even though Lone Druid had the highest GPM. The score was 17-11 at 36 minutes and Na`Vi seemed to make a comeback.

However, the Chinese powerhouse was too smart to give their lead away. Only opting to fight whenever Ravage was up, and with Chuan's Tidehunter making sure that Rubick could never get in range to steal his Ravage, iG turtled up to 47 minutes and with the icing on the cake being a Refresher's Orb on Tidehunter, a last push into top barracks at 50 minutes was the final straw.

Na`Vi lost the fight 4-1 and the championship 1-3. iG have the million dollars.

Formerly from Editorial but now managing the DotA/Dota 2 section - if you have any news tips or information about the competitive scene, you may personally approach me at [email protected], Skype, or send me a pm.